It’s no secret that Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) esports fans are in for a treat with the IEM Katowice 2025 Play-In stage, with 16 teams competing for only eight spots in the latest edition of the iconic tournament series from ESL.
As part of the Intel Grand Slam, the event as a whole is one of the biggest of the year, boasting a huge $1 million prize pool. The first step for most teams competing is to make it past the Play-In stage. Here’s what you need to know so you don’t miss out on any IEM Katowice 2025 Play-In matches.
IEM Katowice 2025 Schedule & Format
Let’s kick things off with the format. There are 16 teams competing in a double-elimination bracket format, where all matches are BO3. The top eight teams qualify for the tournament’s Group Stage. The Play-In stage runs from 29 to 31 January 2025.
Round 1 IEM Katowice Play-In Stage Matches
You’ll find a full list of the Play-In stage opening matchups for IEM Katowice 2025 below. We’ve got some real bangers here, but I am most excited about Team Liquid vs. HEROIC!
- Team Liquid vs. HEROIC
- Complexity vs. Eternal Fire
- 3DMax vs. FlyQuest
- Astralis vs. MIBR
- paiN Gaming vs. Virtus.pro
- GamerLegion vs. SAW
- Wildcard Gaming vs. BIG
- Imperial Female vs. FURIA Esports
Matchups for the first round are based on Valve’s Global Standings (13/01/2025).
There’s not much else to the IEM Katowice 2025 event that CS2 esports fans need to know about. The tournament features an easy-to-understand format without any weird fluff.
Watching IEM Katowice 2025 Live Streams
Most fans can’t make it to Poland to watch IEM Katowice matches live. Thankfully, there are fantastic live streams featuring world-class broadcasting talent and casters. You can watch all the Counter-Strike action unfold on the ESLCS Twitch channel and catch up with highlights via the ESL Counter-Strike YouTube channel.
Stay tuned to our esports section, as we’ll cover more from IEM Katowice 2025 and other S-Tier events in CS2, Dota 2, and more.
